Green

Le grand saut, le pactole, le passage chez les "majors". Voilà ce que représente "Green" dans la discographie de R.E.M. Car après cinq albums sur le label indépendant I.R.S. qui ont fait d’eux les chouchous des radios universitaires et de la critique éclairée, les quatre garçons d'Athens, Géorgie, signent chez la Warner. Un contrat juteux, des attentes énormes, et la question qui brûle toutes les lèvres en 1988 : vont-ils se vendre comme des putes ou réussir à garder leur âme ? Avouons-le, et vous commencez à me connaître, j’ai toujours eu un peu de mal avec R.E.M. C'est comme ça. Une sorte de barrière invisible, peut-être un poil trop propret, trop universitaire, trop… américain dans le sens le plus lisse du terme. Pourtant, la décence m'oblige à reconnaître leur importance capitale et, par moments, leur génie. Et "Green", c'est précisément l'album qui incarne toute l'ambivalence de ma relation avec ce groupe. Mon avis est simple et ne changera pas : c'est un disque foncièrement inégal. Un album schizophrène, le cul entre deux chaises, qui ne sait pas s'il doit enfiler un treillis pour partir au combat ou un pull en tricot pour aller cueillir des pâquerettes. C'est l'album de la transition, et comme toute transition, c'est parfois maladroit, un peu disgracieux, comme un adolescent qui mue. D'un côté, il y a la machine de guerre qui se met en place, celle qui accouchera plus tard de monstres de stades. Je pense évidemment à "Orange Crush", un putain de brûlot, un riff d'acier trempé, une production massive, des bruits d'hélicoptères, et un Stipe qui gueule enfin un peu, qui crache sa frustration sur fond de guerre du Vietnam et d'Agent Orange. Là, oui, mille fois oui. C'est puissant, c'est intelligent, c'est du rock qui a des couilles et un cerveau. Dans la même veine, "Pop Song 89" en ouverture est une mise en abîme maline et efficace du cirque médiatique qui les attend, et "World Leader Pretend" montre une maturité nouvelle dans l'écriture. Et puis, il y a "Stand". Ah, "Stand", le tube absolu, la chanson que tu entends une fois et qui te ronge le cerveau pour la semaine. C'est un bonbon pop acidulé et intentionnellement débile, une mélodie si conne qu'elle en devient géniale. C'est le R.E.M. qui a compris qu'un riff simple et un refrain à la mords-moi-le-nœud pouvaient t'ouvrir les portes du Top 40. On peut trouver ça con, mais il faut avouer que c'est diablement bien foutu. Pour ces trois ou quatre titres, l'album mérite sa place dans le grand livre. Mais voilà, il y a l'autre versant de la montagne, celui qui me fait grincer des dents et qui justifie ma note timide. C'est le R.E.M. qui se regarde le nombril en tricotant des arpèges à la mandoline. Putain de mandoline, elle est partout sur cet album, comme un virus. Sur "You Are the Everything" ou "The Wrong Child", on a l'impression d'entendre une version édulcorée et sans âme de leurs premiers disques. C'est mou, c'est gentillet, on sent le groupe qui se cherche, qui essaie de ne pas renier complètement son passé indie tout en draguant le grand public. Le problème, c'est qu'en faisant ça, ils perdent en cohérence ce qu'ils gagnent en ambition. C’est ça, le nœud du problème avec "Green". C'est un album de compromis, il est vert comme la couleur du dollar qu'ils viennent de toucher, mais il est aussi vert comme un fruit pas assez mûr. On sent le potentiel, on goûte le sucre des morceaux les plus évidents, mais on tombe aussi sur des passages âpres, qui manquent de saveur, de conviction. C'est un disque charnière, un passage obligé pour qu'ils puissent ensuite nous pondre des chefs-d'œuvre de mélancolie comme "Automatic for the People". Mais en tant que tel, écouté en 2025 avec le recul que m'offrent mes 55 balais et des milliers de disques dans les oreilles, "Green" me laisse sur ma faim. Il y a de l'or, c'est indéniable, mais il faut le trier au milieu de beaucoup de paille. Un 3 sur 5, ça peut sembler sévère pour un album qui contient des classiques pareils, mais c'est la note de la frustration. La frustration de ce qu'il aurait pu être s'il avait choisi son camp. C'est un bon album, mais pas un grand album, il est juste... entre les deux. Et être entre les deux, dans le rock, c'est rarement la meilleure place.

Un poco aburrido, canciones muy repetitivas. Me han gustado: stand (alegre y way) y Orange crush

not to bad to listen to, quite a few good songs like Stand, Orange Crush and Pop Son 89. The rest are nice to listen to but not memorable

This has great hits but something doesn’t click for me. It feels too soft, maybe it’s the vocal delivery that doesnt change tone? I’m not quite sure but it’s good music, just doesn’t do anything for me.

Orange Crush baby

Problemet til REM (og denne lista) er at de har laget Automatic For The People. Da "må" man ikke høre på noe annet.

There were some songs I really liked that were less emo “rock” but there were also emo rock songs - so netted out at 3.

Overrated band die een paar goede albums heeft, maar deze klinkt wel heel erg middle of the road rock. Paar wel echt catchy.

Alright. Top song is Stand. I wouldn't look for it again. Something about the REM vocals getting me kinda sleepy and uninterested 3

Oh REM experimental album just not a fan of that I like kind of a constant change for bands not a hard shift when they did their folk style on this album not a fan, but then the the more rock oriented is good

Not big R.E.M. fan. Not a bad album though.

good but too boppy

Surprisingly liked this one

Probably no. 4 or 5 of my bottom five REM albums.

Its REM, what am i supposed to say

Right on the edge of being a bit dull.

This is a nice piece of music though I expected to enjoy it a lot more than I did. I like REM, though haven't listened for years, and on relistening I'm afraid this album is a bit bland, dull, lacking energy.

eh

udemærket album. Jeg synes ikke det var sådan meeeeeega godt, men det er åbenbart en del af Kurt Kobains top 50 albums og inspirerede bla alt rock movement i 90'erne fordi det gjorde noget eksperimenterende. Jeg synes langt fra det er det bedste REM jeg har lyttet til.

Orange Crush is a huge track but I was underwhelmed by the rest of the album.

Lowk kinda boring. The thing that's gonna be prominent in most of these early ratings is me not being familiar with this type of music at all. Like it js feels a little boring to me. It's like the same thing over and over and over and it's just not really my cup of tea since I really like more energetic shit but it might help expand my taste?

not their best. not so many beautiful tracks, but good for listening all album

6/10

I think this is our third R.E.M. album. It's pretty much what you expect. If you like R.E.M. you will like this. My main takeaway is that "Orange Crush" is a really great song. The rest is ok too, I think "Stand" was my second favourite.

Ist ok. Haut einen nicht um gibt aber auch nicht direkt schlechtes dran 3/5

I find myself coming back to Green less than other REM albums. It's still okay.

More evidence of how REM turned puck toward alternative rock. Good high quality throughout.

nice, but probably not gonna go back to it

Aika perus R.E.M levy, oli parempi kuin odotin. R.E.M tuntuu omaan makuun hittejä lukuunottamatta aika tasapaksua, mutta oli kummiskin ihan hyvä kuunneltava. Parhaat: Orange Crush, You Are The Everything

Stand is a classic. Orange Crush is too. But otherwise most of the album is just OK. I did enjoy a few other songs on here. World Leader Pretend is good. There's also a lot of dull shit on the album, too. Like Hairshirt and I Remember California. The good is very good, but the bad is torturous.

One of the 3-est albums of all time from (probably) the 3-est band of all time

It was good, could hear how it influenced 90s alt, didn't get hooked though

it's just not my thing. i can appreciate some of it, but I just feel really meh overall.

Sounds very experimental although the pop type hits like Orange Crush and Stand, and even Pop Song 89 grab your attention. I feel most of the rest of the album would benefit from repeated listenings but I found myself gravitating to the tunes where the hooks were immediate and I didn't have to decode the often confusing lyrics. Nice album.

A little too sleepy

Even though R.E.M. were supposedly trying to reinvent themselves with this record, the music here doesn't break much new ground, as much of it has the same simple guitar strumming and picking patterns common to a lot of other R.E.M. songs. (Even when Peter Buck switches to mandolin, he's still in default mode.) Additionally, on a lot of the tracks Stipe's vocal melodies don't mesh well with the music ("Pop Song 89" and "Stand" excepted, where he keeps it more straightforward). The acoustic tracks are a mixed bag - "The Wrong Child" is overcooked, for example, but on "Hairshirt" all of the pieces come together perfectly.

Not bad

3/5

2.5

Solid ok.

Poppy. Melancholy. Low Energy. Mostly boring. Best song: Orange Crush

Iha menevä. Ei noussu selkeitä starakappaleita.

good stuff

Highlights: Pop Song 89, World Leader Pretend. In a nutshell: from college radio to adult radio. It feels different compared to Murmur and a little different to Document. Less jangly. It’s alright. Production is an improvement compared to Murmur. The riff from I Remember California reminds me of The Bends era Radiohead (ie My Iron Lung). What's interesting to note is Discogs labelled this album as “AOR” (ie Adult Orientated Rock). In terms of the book, this could be an example of an artist “aging out” of a market (industry concept, not mine). They started their career in the college radio rotation, now they’re playing on commercial radio. Sellout move? Maybe? Overall: 5/10

Fun album with a good mix of songs, not as many really great tracks as some of the subsequent albums. 3.5

Felt very familiar. Kept waiting for Losing my Religion. Orange crush is a banger. Good album

Pretty good overall. Better than the other R.E.M. album.

orange crush is kind of a banger

Found myself skipping every other song. Some were just so... whiny?

Was fine. 5/10

It's a good album, but not great. There are really nice instrumentations, but some songs feel bland. There is a big lyrical importance, which is nothing bad, but sometimes it seems like the lyrics carry all the interest of some of the songs. However, it has been a pleasant listening over all.

Very good

Un disco con 2 canciones excelentes y el resto de canciones que oscilan entre buenas y regulares, una constante en la carrera de esta banda.

Tipping my cap to Ben Wyatt on this listen. A good portion of this album was on Parks and Rec in some way or another. Aside from that, it was decent, easy listening. Nice to hear something other than losing my religion

Listened to this on plane. Fun listen, don’t think I’ll be coming back often though. Later stuff is better

Just like my review for "Murmur," this sure is a full album of R.E.M.! It feels more refined and I preferred it to "Murmur." Nothing really bad here but nothing special either

Pop Song is good and memorable. As is Orange Crush. I am reminded how much I hate “Stand” as it was used in “Get a Life”. This is coming from a long-time REM hater. They are the reason why we have bands like Coldplay.

This one was ok. I was teetering on disliking it but I think it was fine.

6/10… power pop / rock

Good listen.

I’ve never been a big R.E.M. fan, and can’t say I’ve ever listened to this before, but I enjoyed it more than I expected.

Major key, mid-tempo, pretentious, semi-folk-rock-balladish things making up some, mediocre Experimental Rock.

Not bad

Not my favorite R.E.M. record. This and the previous record, Document, started getting R.E.M. on the pop music stations and more heavy rotation on MTV. To me the sound became to polished and to overproduced. While there are still some amazing songs on this record, it just was not my style. I was a big fan and went to every show when they would come into town, but by this record, I was less interested in the band. This album was really less jangle pop as the previous albums and R.E.M. seem to lose their college radio station sound. That is fine, we all have to graduate from college someday. However, for R.E.M. their college sound was what drew me in and made them endearing.

Typisches R.E.M. Album, der Fairness halber muss ich aber auch sagen das es halt wie jedes Album der Band klingt, also irgendwie der gleiche Klang, Gesang, etc. Hat sich nicht abgehoben

Irgendjemand hat mal gesagt, dass der Sänger von R.E.M. sich anhört wie Donald Trump, seitdem kann ich das nicht mehr weghören. Ich mag R.E.M., aber das dritte Album nun, nur eins kam bisher auf 4 Sterne. Orange Crush hat positiv herausgestochen

Again, I just find REM so completely average.

Didn't like it as much as I expected to.

Whiny bloke this guy

You can tell they're a group of talented musicians, and that they have a great understanding of what they're doing musically, but it never really clicks for me. Part of it is probably that I don't love the lead singer's voice, and that's an important part, and helps set up an initial impression. I do like the experimentation that's done. It works well enough to the point that it isn't really all that noticeable, which is a good thing, I think. So, it blends in well with their other musical decisions. I just didn't really like it all that much. Favorite Song(s): I Remember California

Great album! Classic rock, and easy to enjoy. 7.6/10

Stand and Orange Crush are great. Everything else is pretty meh and blends together.

Some good songs— Stand and Orange Crush are xrt classics. I don’t think it’s a great album and probably doesn’t deserve a spot on the list. Kinda plain ya know?

I have a complicated relationship with R.E.M. Their hits HIT, but everything else kinda sounds the same. 3 stars here for a solid album that didn't blow me away or leave me feeling like I wasted my time.

Enjoyable, but like most REM, doesn't do anything special for my ears.

Not bad little bit boring

By the point Green came out, REM had hit the top of their career. They had gone from college radio favorites to mass market stars and filled arenas with the album, Document. Green, while a good album, sounded more like outtakes from Document. The leadoff, Pop Song 89, was jangly enough to be old REM and Orange Crush added a bit of social commentary to the REM mix. Plenty of others were MTV and radio hits (Get Up, Stand) but none of them are as good as It's End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine), or almost anything else on Document. After this came their biggest album ever, Out of Time, which was coincidentally one of their lowest artisticly. Lot's of teenage posers would soon loved REM but even they knew it wasn't quality. The albums that cam later, especially Automatic for the People, Monster, and Adventures in Hi-Fi were better albums but not as popular. So, whether you see Green as the beginning of the fall or fork in the road depends on whether you care about sales or art. If the latter, then Green was only the bump in the road.

4th album. Three stars it was okay. Wasn't great. Wasn't the worst? Wasn't their best? decent album middle of the road. Can see where other artists borrowed from the sound, especially the new pornographers in twin Cinema

A lot of improvements compared to the debut album and a lot more enjoyable. Still feels like a bit of a relic of its time.

Just good 3.3

Drones on a bit despite being 40mins. Important, sure, but eh

Decent. Lots of hits I’ve heard through the years

I will probably have Orange Crush stuck in my head for the next few days. Otherwise, the rest of the album was just sort of there for me. I didn't love it, I didn't hate it. It was ok.

I guess we're going to have all of REM's albums on this list? This, at least, has my favorite song from them, Orange Crush. I Remember California turned out to be good, too. This is a 3.

I remember saying on my last R.E.M. album review that it was peak-R.E.M. style, but that's also how I feel about this one, just an earlier version of it. When you think of R.E.M., this is it. 3.5

Never was much of an REM fan, but I found that this album kept things interesting and was 'rock' sounding compared to some the others.

In the end I didn't mind it, but it probably isn't something I'd add to my frequent rotation.

ka philipp album holt

I've never been a massive fan of R.E.M., I really like some of their individual hits, but I had never listened to one of their albums. This experience confirmed me and R.E.M. just don't click. A few highlights. but an overall dull album for me.

Still not a fan by any means, but overall not a bad listen

Too monotone lead vocal.

The second REM album I've gotten through this, though I can say I liked this one much more than the first (AFTP). There was some diversity to the music that kept it engaging, plus the songs themselves were enjoyable for the most part. There were still a few I didn't like; Stand stood out for that reason (see what I did there?). I didn't think it was great. But, as someone who doesn't really care for REM, I have to say this was pretty good. Overall: 3.1/5

Boring pop-rock.

bof

Enjoyed! Less good than the jack white album, but i can see its value even if its not as much me

Oh man. Green is the first REM record I heard. I remember stealing the tape from my brother's room. I still love it. It's somewhere in between their early more raw stuff and the later sophisticated art rock - Green has a bit more pure pop to it, which is actually what I like least about the REM in general, and Stand is the first song of their that I loved, and it's just so poppy that I sort of thought of this as one of their not so good albums for awhile... But relistening, it's actually better than I thought! I forgot about Orange Crush! Man that's a good song.

This album was how I got into REM back in 5th grade, so it should have a powerful nostalgia aura for me. But “Orange Crush” aside, I was surprised by how little I liked this album listening to it now. It seems like I can hear them moving further away from the early stuff i still like, and some songs verge on the full cringe effect of “Shiny Happy People.” Automatic for the People sort of redeems this arc for me, but I honestly struggled to get all the way through this album. Extra points for memories of 5th grade though.

3.5/5

No esta mal, sin mas

Me duele la cabeza

There's definitely an argument to be made for "Murmur" and "Automatic for the People" being on this list but this album not as much. Its a perfectly acceptable album but come on. Favorite track: You Are The Everything

Men den var nära att få två i vissa delar

REM are an interesting one for me, I think my favourite thing about them is how much I hear their influence in so many bands I love. But when it comes to REM themselves I find them incredibly hit or miss. Green is alright, the songs I like I do like but the ones I don't were a drag. Honestly this felt way longer than an hour by the end of it. Favourites - Pop Song 89, You Are The Everything, Stand

Two R.E.M. albums in a row! Well, let's get them out of the way I suppose... Bleh. Blablublarghalumebleylalagullumbelum. I don't dislike it. I don't like it very much either. 3 stars

Oh yeah just what i needed, an other mid R.E.M album

Ça va j’accepte

Fun

yeah ok easy listening

I absolutely LOVE REM, but as has always been the case when listening to this - which I know is highly acclaimed in their back catalogue - I am kind of ambivalent to it. I think instead of being a great realisation of where they would end up and the accomplishment of where they started it's just TOO transitional. It misses the soaring poppy art rock highs of their later work, and the austere jangle of their early records.

Ok I checked and the REM inclusions in this list are weird. Four albums which is a lot, but none of them are their biggest album, Out Of Time? Don’t get me wrong, REM is a great band and this is a great album. It’s a transition album. The band’s major label debut. Their “selling out” album. I think the only huge hit here is “Stand”, but I guess the overall sound is more polished and accessible (not that REM were terribly inaccessible at any point). It’s a beautiful album, great late eighties early nineties alt rock. Dunno, three stars based on my personal taste but I mean I’m not sure it should be here.

Although I really like REMs hit songs, I found this album to just be pretty decent. Other than Orange Crush (one of the first songs I learned on my guitar), not many other songs really stood out for me. The entire time I was listening to this album, I was thinking that The Smiths do everything better. That being said, healthy 3

OK REM. Not my favorite. Marks the shift into more mainstream rock/pop than indie. More produced. Less jangly.

Light rock, but still feels like 80s.

Classic late 80's album, everyone at the time knew it or owned it. "Pop Song 89" was a big hit with a great riff. "Stand", while annoying at times, is another hit that still gets a substantial amount of airplay today (51M listens). Rounding out the big 3 is "Orange Crush" which I heard on the radio yesterday (74M listens). Glue tracks like "Get Up", "Turn You Inside Out" round it out. I will add that "The Wrong Child" is horrible, a full on trainwreck of a song. I would not add this to my T1001 but I respect the impact it had at the time and the hits it produced that still get on the radio. 3.5 stars

Meh. A couple of good tunes.

Some bangers and some yawners. Never heard “ I Remember California” before. Really like that song

Good album. Orange Crush will always be one of my favorite songs. Never get tired of it.

it was mid

Kinda cool, very 80's kept on waiting for losing my religion though hahaha

Some decent songs ngl. Just not great

Despite thinking that -- at their core -- REM sound quite dweeby, I've just always loved them. Love Stipe's vocals, and their music just always hits an very enjoyable spot in my brain + ears. However, it gets a bit samey samey and I prefer their other outputs. It's a high 3 low 4 for me.

Pfff. I neither really like nor dislike R.E.M. It's too much middle of the road for me. And that's exactly what I think of this album. It's like pleasant background sound. You keep hoping that something will happen, whether it's a really hard rocking song or a beautiful ballad, but nope, it's like a gentle river bubbling along the countryside. I really don't understand ''You are the everything'; the instrumentation doesn't work and the singing of Michael Stipe is truly unbearable in that song. 4 stars is really too much honour. It's a bleak 7 our of 10 but that translates into 4 stars. But I just can't do that. So I ignore the methodology and adjust to 3 stars.

The first R.E.M. album I've listened to. I knew all of the best songs already, so it really wasn't anything too new. Still a solid album.

Never been a big fan of R.E.M. but this is a decent album.

Nice.

A catchy album by R.E.M. Some good reasonable hits. However I prefer their earlier works.

Buen álbum. Leí que experimentaron con crear canciones de rock en tonalidad mayor, probaron instruementaciones nuevas como la inclusión de la melódica. Me pareció interesante un momento en el que solo queda sonando un marimbol. La voz del cantante es muy representativa de la banda.

I can't love REM. I don't know why

Ei pöllömpi! Tykkään Documentista enemmän 3/5

Start is four stars, wind in hair you’re flying then a bit whiny for me back half.

Something about the voice and chord progression of this album did not really grab me

This was cool I guess, not bad not good

Yeah it was alright, I like the mandolin

There are good R.E.M albums out there and this isn’t one of them, wouldn’t say I hate it but it doesn’t have to be here Oh no ive said too much I haven’t said enough 😉

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjhsZ8ZMTzY Champagne comedy

ssookay I knew 2 songs from this album, ya know the two. Orange crush is good, I think this might be a good road trip album when you run out of your regular music. I've never heard it in its entirety before, it has a feel to it, not my feel but a 90s nostalgia that makes me think of Delia's catalog dresses and teen smoking.

Has a couple fire tracks!

I have a hard time clicking with REM. Always have and apparently always will. Each album will have a couple of stand out pop hits, one dark track ("I Remember California") and a bunch of filler. None of it is bad, it just never strikes me as consistent. 2.5 stars for a neutral offering.

It's okay. I guess

Not bad but not really my thing. Probably won't listen to the full thing again. Stand is obviously a stand out (heh) but my favourite track was Orange Crush.

Alternative Rock, 1988 -> 3

One step further into pop territory, but there’s still enough of those buzzing, shadowy guitars

Pretty good stuff. Probably their best album, but it still feels like ''U2 with a twist''.

++: Pop Song 89, Get Up, Stand, Turn You Inside-Out, Hairshirt +: The Wrong Child +-: You Are The Everything, World Leader Pretend, Orange Crush, I Remember California, Untitled 6,9/10

Pretty decent. I think they've made better albums though.

Niet per se fan van rem

I hear they hadn't yet found the very signature sound I remember from later, but I haven't heard a lot. The voice is very recognizable, though.

...should we talk abaaat tha govaaarnmeeent!!!??

Pretty good, nothing special really just pretty good guitar pop/alt rock, wasn’t a big fan of the last two songs or the more calmer songs, they were fine but felt a bit too long for what they were. Highlights were world leader pretend and orange crush. Also cool how this made Cobains top 50 albums i can see the influences I guess. Overall 5.5/10.

Very patchy.

A little bit mellow, nothing to complain about.

Not my favourite I don't really like the voice of the lead singer much

Middle point between the early years and losing my religion, they started to pick up alternate instruments (mandolin and accordion). There are good songs in here but as a whole it did not grab me like future REM albums.

it's giving they might be giants if they just played it safe

I love some R.E.M. songs, but I’ve never loved an R.E.M. album. For example, Pop Song 89 and Orange Crush were excellent, but The Wrong Child and Hairshirt were not enjoyable. They’re great songwriters, but I think part of the issue is that I’ve never liked Michael Stipe’s singing. Now that I think about it, he doesn’t sing but rather talks through my favourite R.E.M. song (Man on the Moon), and yells through the other (Shiny Happy People). Anyway, 3.5 stars.

[3.5]

Another REM album i enjoyed and don't know why. I do like their 80s stuff

I am notoriously (at least among my music-discussing friends) not a big REM fan, though I definitely respect what they did for alternative music/culture, and there are some REM songs I do love. If you care about why I think I don't love REM as much as some others my age, ask me about my Older Sibling Theory. All of that being said, the hits on this album are among the first REM songs I remember being exposed to on MTV (after the tracks off Document that got a lot of airplay) and I generally like them. I like this album now but it annoyed me back then. I also like most of what REM did before this album more than I like what they did after it, so this was kind of an inflection point.

Few good songs but brought down by others on the album being quite uninteresting.

pretty good. reminds me of the music dad listens to (because he actually does listen to R.E.M. LMFAO). put this on while studying, ‘twas an easy listen. i liked it well enough, wouldn’t really go out of my way to listen to much BUT i did like “Turn You Inside-Out” because it was more similar to what i usually listen to! solid 3/5 (would give it a 4 but i have a feeling there will be some genuine 4’s down the road so i’d rather be harsh now…)

preeeeetty aight! some great classics in there

Stand and Orange Crush are good songs. Started pretty weak, and sounded a lot the same. After Orange Crush, the album got quite good. I will say 3, maybe 2.5 but rounded up.

Some decent tracks are still REM tracks

As mediocre as ever

Gut aber austauschbar

It's like kinda good but also not for me. Will I listen to again: 15%

This album felt very safe and inoffensive. Yes, I'm aware that they did some experimentation, such as including the using of a mandolin and other sounds, but I think it all just came out very dull.

pop song 89- 5 get up- 5. i hate homie's voice you are the everything- 4 stand- 5 world leader pretend- 4 the wrong child- 4 orange rush- 5 or 6 turn you inside out- 5 hairshirt- 3 or 4. i hate this i remember california- 5 untitled- 5 rem walks a very thin line between me liking them or hating them. but as it stands now, i dont care much about them

Enjoyable but nothing special.

Found vocals quite grating and music boring.

I was never much of a fan of R.E.M

A bit underwhelming honestly, especially when compared to Out of Time or Document. Still enjoyable but not an album I'll listen to start to finish again. 5.5/10 (2.75/5)

This is an example of how important arranging is, in that their dull playing spoils the chance of pretty interesting melodies turning into great songs

R.E.M. to nie jest muzyka dla mnie, podobnie jak U2. Przelatuje przeze mnie kompletnie bez śladu, mimo dwóch odsłuchów ledwo pamiętam, co tam się wydarzyło. Pierwszy utwór był całkiem spoko, coś tam czasami mnie chwytało w jego popowym brzmieniu. Któryś kolejny utwór przywoływał na myśl "Losing My Religion", to też było ok. Ale ogólnie bez szału.

I was not immediately inspired when I listened to this recently and will have to listen again to give it another chance (REM being one of my most-listened groups) If in the top 1001 Albums, it would be quite far down the list!

I mean yeah it’s dad rock

Hmm, okay enough.

This is a good album. REM were omnipresent throughout my student years and whilst not objectionable it did get a bit too much and ultimately I got a bit bored by them. Revisiting it now has reminded me that it is still a good album but I still can't quite shake those old feelings

Standard R.E.M. stuff. I'm afraid that I was present in the room where it was played, but not really listening.

Beige

Klinkt erg naar rem je hoort zeker hun grootste hits er in terug

Good album, but not my favorite REM album.

After that last album, I was terrified when the first song of this one kept repeating ‘shall we talk about the government’ Then realised it’s that band that made them two alright songs Losing My Religion and Everybody Hurts. Neither were on this album. But it was alright, just very samey throughout. Nothing inspiring or exciting

The singles are fantastic but the rest of the album falls flat.

It was fine, but I've never been an REM fan.

I like this a lot

I know it’s their breakout, but 90’s REM does more for me. Some great songs and some misses.

gostei

There’s a lot of great stuff here. It’s not my favorite, but it’s still very good. 3/5

...

Not fan of all the lyrics but some really.interesting sounds here. Some lovely ones in fact but don't think I'll be reaching to add to a playlist. Sometimes he screeches words like okayyyy and I'm not sure I like it. Orange crush is a banger of course Didn't mind turn you inside out either tbh Also I like the guitar on I remember california

Michael Stipe's voice is nasally and a bit annoying but pretty ok musically

Nunca he entendido muy bien la pasión que R.E.M. son capaces de generar. Quizá puesto en contexto gane puntos, pero, en general, sus álbumes me suenan a grunge/alt rock típico de los noventa. Y no es que tenga nada de malo; al contrario, me parece música de calidad y muy agradable de escuchar. Las letras, aunque un poco crípticas, son de corte político y se mantienen relevantes. La inclusión de mandolinas y violines es interesante, aunque puede resultar irritante a veces. Música alternativa, pero de masas al mismo tiempo. Me cuesta darle nota, así que, como siempre en este tipo de casos, lo voy a dejar en 3.

Not my fav REM

Feels overrated

This is quintessentially fine

The songs that I recognized (Stand and Orange Crush) are good, and the others aren't bad...but I do not like the lead singer's voice. Would easily be a 4 if the singing was a little more palatable. Not bad otherwise.

I only really enjoyed the two recognizable songs here. But even those are a bit repetitive for me. Nothing glaringly unpleasant, but also nothing that I enjoyed very much.

it was okay

Что-то очень напоминает, а что не понимаю. Американская музыка, но ближе не к кантри, а к блюз-року, фолк-року. Чувствую американскую деревню в музыке вперемешку с Битлз.

Never listened to really any full REM albums other than Automatic for the People, they definitely sound like a less mature band in this one, most of the tunes don't stand out too much, but I think it's pretty good overall. Some of the songs get a little whiny and go on for a while, but such is the way of Michael Stipe. Oh man I forgot how fucking great Stand is, what a banger.

You know what I didn't hate this that much! James and I were disappointed at another REM but I knew quite a few of these. It was totally palatable

Qué se yo, las letras tienen una pizca de sarcasmo y locura que me gusta, pero no es para nada mi tipo. Además, no pude rescatar nada para mis listas. Nota: 2.8

Haven't listened to much REM outside the hits. Pretty solid album here.

Orange Crush is a great song. Otherwise, a decent but not overly standout album.

Oscillating between cheesy and REM (which is to say: kinda cheesy) but that's what I'm looking for when I go to REM.

pfff... weeral REM ... gelukkig toch enkele goeie nummers... maar toch ook aardig wat fillers

Started strong (fun REM) but faded (whiny REM).

Pretty standard 3 star album nothing too exciting but nothing too annoying either.

Pre - I'd always considered this the high water mark for the best (college rock) version of REM. Post - On relistening, I think it's got some strong singles (Pop Song, Stand, Orange Crush) and some good non singles (Turn You Inside-Out, Get Up). But the overall album is the slippery slope towards "Out of Time/Automatic For the People" (ie REM's folk version). So, I'd go with Document as the real high mark album for REM mk1.

I mean it's fine, but all kinda blurs a bit together. The voice and tone triggers nostalgia in me, but only because of Wim Wenders' "Until the End of the World."

puuu ja freue isch glaub s falsche wort pop song 89 het iwie en coole ahsatz vomene refrain aber ziehts nöd ganz durre? aber no cool get up 0 uufpasst you are the verything jsch zwar chli andersch aber finds gad arschlangwilig hmm stsnd isch zwar scho au en nervig easy catchy hahaha world leader rig na cool? aber iwie lauft alles chli ah mier verbii ja bö remember california hani seehr gern, isch iwie es düsters riff untitled sehr langwilig jaa bin chli z müed gsi, aber iwie hani de zuegang zu r.e.m. nöd würkli. schlecht ischs sicher nöd. 3

I was initially surprised to find that I didn't know many of these songs. But now I think if I heard them again, I might not remember them. A dull album, this.

Sort of repetitive.

Soothing and distinct voice the lead singer has. Enjoyable but nothing memorable on first listen.

Not my favorite REM album.

There's not really much I can say about this. It's just rather bland pop rock. Some catchy riffs, some fun lyrics, but nothing groundbreaking. Can't say it's bad, but this album is not something I would be excited to hear again. It's just fine.

2.5

I hate to say it as a Georgia native, but REM does nothing for me. I understand that it's a good album, just not for me.

Pretty cool sounding but not the most interesting.

R.E.M. is a nice band. And this album is also a nice album. But I don't really find anything more to say about it. It is nice. But not more.

Listen again to Orange Crush. Good album, calm atmosphere.

I enjoyed this album as background music. On a close listen I noticed synthesized elements of Americana rock, punk, pop, etc. They blended these elements enough to make very palatable alt rock music, but overall nothing incredibly unique and ground breaking.

Not bad. I've never been a huge REM fan but they were unavoidable in my early teen years and therefore occupy some space in my brain.

At last Some 500 albums into this project I finally get an REM album Would I have put it on the list - probably not In fact I could make a case for 9 or 10 REM albums being better. But the 9th best REM album is still pretty bloody good! I always feel Green is the bridge between the early REM albums and the stadium conquering later ones. It has a foot in both camps and never quite excels in either Orange Crush is a classic but it gets marked down for me because Pop Song 89 and Stand are trying too hard to be quirky Call it a 3 only because I think pretty much the rest of their discography is 4+

first album review! its 6 am and i found this on reddit but i am intrigued hehe. notable moments: stand - i really like the riff (?) in the middle of the song. also the song reminds me of what makes you beautiful by one direction LOL. turn you inside-out - so far my favorite to be honest i was zoning out and when it came to the guitar riff i was like this is kinda good especially the ending.

Enjoyed this more than their other album, still don’t love the sound but it did grew on me enough to give it a few extra listens

10/01/25 Obviously I know how big REM are, but again it's just an average album, with one stand out song.

stand in the place where yo- 5/10 (may revisit)

Good, enjoyable but nothing exceptional

It was a good listen. I heard some songs that I haven't listened to in 10+ years. Overall, I'd definitely give album another listen.

R.E.M. seem to be in that weird realm of uniqueness where they’re easily distinguishable from other acts, but not actually different enough to stand out properly. It’s probably Stipe’s distinct voice or the jangle of the instrumentation - but they’ve seemed to keep their sound fairly robust over the few albums I’ve listened to. As for Green, despite its misleading title/cover matchup, its soundscape is certainly lush and (maybe) upbeat. I don’t really want to throw this away as ‘background listening’, but that’s the sense I’m getting. There’s not a grand artistic statement or experimentation. It’s a great performance of tried and tested alt rock. And it works. And it’s just fine.

The only song I know from REM is losing my religion (that's them right?) Stand in the place where you.... where do inknow that from? It sounds like something from Parks & Rec. Idk. I don't think I like the lead singers voice.

The start of REM's downfall. This one was definitely phoned in. Orange Crush is great, and World Leader Pretend is one of my favorite REM songs. But mostly disappointing because they had set such a high bar for us fans earlier on in their catalog. Even the worst REM is still enjoyable, though. Mike Mills, Peter Buck and Bill Berry always sound great. And Michael Stipe is nothing if not entertaining and usually poetic. You can feel a self-consciousness about the change of direction I think, and that brings it down.

My opinion changed so much throughout this album. The first two or three songs I could not only see the influence but how it’s different from other stuff. But as time went on, I shortly realized that his voice was slightly intolerable. I’m going back and forth between a 2 and 3. I think because I was able to see such a defining difference between other music, I respect it for that.

REM At the time of this release I wasn't much of an REM fan and truly and sincerely hated their poppy songs from this period - feels like they were trying to simplify from their previously-cool mysterious/dark/imperceptible period. Or perhaps I was a bit limited being that I was listening to a lot of "real" music at the time (read: screaming guitars, spandex, lasers. Obviously.). Hmm. Interesting to revisit this a few decades and taste-revolutions later and ... I don't mind the pop songs so much anymore. But it's the major key clarity in their songs overall that still loses me from truly connecting with much of it. Maybe I'm just anti-mandolin? Songs that are mandolin-heavy here are my least-favourites. Fave: "Turn You Inside-Out" - a rare rock/distorted guitar REM song that really works for me - something about that simple pre-chorus. Least-fave: "The Wrong Child" - terrible. Competing vocals sounds more than sloppy. Overall it's better than I was expecting, although at 41 minutes I was ready to jump ship so I appreciate the short runtime. It's a fuller-sounding record than I'd been expecting - sounds great in headphones - and very different from their early/first-4-albums period that I've grown to love. Anyways - no chills but mostly a fine rock listen. 5/10 3 stars

2.5 but lovingly, a lot of songs almosttttttt did it for me but there always was something missing

tercer álbum de rem que me sale YA NO PUEDO MÁS

Not an R.E.M fan but this was alright. 3*

One of the things I've felt for years is that I really need to dig into the earlier side of R.E.M.'s discography, mainly because I wanna see what they did with the jangle pop sound and their singles from that era are pretty neat. This album was good but not really consistent, it feels in this weird crossroad of trying to be more alternative rock but also trying to still retain some of the folky/jangly aspects of their old music, so it can oscillate between amazing alt rock songs like "Orange Crush" to huge misses like "The Wrong Child" whose instrumentals and Mike's voice just do NOT mix well. I enjoyed my time with this album but it just felt like I have heard R.E.M. could do better and more consistent things than this.

I do like R.E.M. but this album didn’t especially stand out to me. Like I listened to it on Friday and reviewing it now on Monday and I barely remember it other than it was pleasant.

I think I've earned myself a three. This album was pretty damn good. I've listened to Orange Crush probably about 10 times today. Nonetheless, the rest of the album was pretty mediocre. Some funky beats but nothing too special. An easy listen for a day that I really needed it. (Drinking Orange Crush while listening to Orange Crush is a 5/5 experience would do again)

A pretty decent album - Orange Crush and Stand get a lot of radio play, Inside Out is a GTA IV classic. Nice folk stuff but also some snoozers. All round enjoyable 3.5/5

I’m sure this inspired lots and seems ahead of its time. However found myself so bored throughout. Just scraped a 3 but so forgettable I won’t be going back

I like but don’t love REM. This album was fine.

I should probably review this album higher but REM have so many albums and even though this one is really good, it’s not one of their tops for me.

Bueno

This could be easily a 4 but Michael Stipe's vocals have always made it difficult for me to truly enjoy R.E.M.

Favourite song - orange crush

I was never the biggest fan of R.E.M. Their music is for me solid rock and pop stuff that can go on in the background for hours, but it doesn't move me even though the lyrics are written for big emotions. The singing style is also not the best on the delivery side I find. Still, it's solid.

The first classic R.E.M. album - it's not bad overall, but contains too much filler. 3/5

Of 4? Idk?

Got my orange crush

Good stuff.

I’ll be real with you, REM deep cuts all sound the same on every album. There’s always those one or two bright spots and then literally the same song over and over

Meh. About what I expected from R.E.M. I've never been a fan. Not bad music, though. Just not something I enjoy.

есть песни и получше

Ihan ok. Mikään kappale ei oikein erottunut päälimmäiseksi, mutta ihan fiilasin tätä kuuntelukokemusta.

It didn't wow me, but I enjoyed it.

This is so mid compared to other stuff released by R.E.M. I didn't enjoy it that much. It wasn't bad but mostly boring.

If it weren't for orange crush, i'd give this a 2. Stand -- always brilliant. just never been a big REM fan.

Some very familiar songs, but I prefer Automatic for the People

I have trouble staying interested in this album but there are some good songs on here. 3 stars or C for me.

Got confused with the year it said it was from then realised it was a reissue 🤦🏻‍♀️ Enjoyable enough.

Pretty basic 80's rock. Orange Crush is the obvious standout. Probably won't relisten.

Damn, this takes me back. This was right when REM made the jump from college radio to MTV. So much of this record was on the radio. How do I still know all the words to Pop Song 89? Pop really is right word to describe this record. Stand is classic, easy bubblegum, complete with dance instructions. And you can hear how Orange Crush so clearly inspired Kurt Cobain’s style. There’s a lot of great stuff here. It’s not my favorite, but it’s still very good. 3/5

Orange Crush is clearly the best thing on here, although there are some other nice jangly guitar moments. And I do like a jangly guitar and have been known to enjoy an REM album from time to time. Not my favourite but there’s a chance I might listen again.

I love orange crush. The rest his voice is a little too whiny for me.

Pretty solid

“Well, that bored the piss out of me.”

It's the juxtaposition of it all. Fav song Stand

Transitory album between their college radio indie pop darlings to ruling the alternative radio waves. Ultimately, Green ends up somewhere between and doesn’t do it for me.

I know I should love them more because of the Georgia connection- but it’s just eh. These 90s albums don’t hit for me.

Fav: Orange Crush Least Fav: Get Up Felt more orange than green

Another case of the hits being good, but not much else. Way too much slow, sad filler

3.5

Overall: 6/10 R.E.M. is a band that's always just kind of been in my life in some form. I've never had much of an opinion on them either way beyond liking a few of their singles. This album doesn't really sway my opinion in either direction and I feel like they'll always be one of those bands that just exists. I really like the different instrumentation on some tracks though and Orange Crush is one of my favourite R.E.M. songs. Fav Song: Orange Crush Least Fav Song: The Wrong Child

Great album just got a little boting

I didnt use to like them back in the day, but compared to the crap these days, it was ok

3.5/5

Wikipedia deems this to be "experimental rock". While I can agree with that, it's still pretty approachable for something that's experimental. This is definitely borderline 90s alternative rock at this point. I can't place too much that sounds like R.E.M. and this album is included in that. They occupy a niche that is uniquely them. Some of this album hit pretty hard for me, but as it went on, I felt like it lost steam. All said and done, a decent album, though.

They have some good songs but I really don't get REM

Quite liked how melodic this was, I'll give it a 3.

Rather ok rock

3,27 average

decently average but enjoyable with maybe some unique sound for its time. i hereby declare them mostly-a-singles-band until the site gives me Automatic For The People

I didn't enjoy this as much as Murmur but it was ok. Orange Crush and Stand are head and shoulders above the rest of the songs on this album.

After listening to this album I revisited Murmur which I had generated last year. This album is not nearly as good as Murmur, but it is still enjoyable. The second half of this album is especially good. Yesterday I had the College Dropout by Kanye West. Jesus Walks from that album uses the same sample as Orange Crush and I think that’s neat. Favorite songs were Stand, Orange Crush, Turn You Inside Out, and I Remember California.

***An ok album

Favorites were "Stand" and "Orange Crush"

No real comment. I've never listened to R.E.M. outside of hearing singles on the radio - and while I enjoy a few of those (and I quite enjoy Michael Stipe's voice), there's nothing here that makes me want to re-listen.

It's ok

I am frankly not particularly an rem enjoyer

Outside of Stand and Orange Crush, I didn’t really know much of the other songs but I could see where it was building from here with the mandolin that eventually leads to Losing My Religion that I love

Lovande början -> meh -> ok näst sista låt.

I've been liking all the REM albums I've gotten. This one was good too

Not bad.

Amongst the seas of metal whammy bars that had been gyrated too much and synthesizer tracks that should have been store with blocks of years aged cheese in a cave somewhere, I can see how this stood out. The first four songs are the strongest for sure. Stand sounds great once, maybe twice, but it’s just chorus, chorus, chorus, key change, chorus, chorus, key change, chorus. You get the point. It gets a bit old. In general, songs that start with the chorus are already sus. When the second chorus shows up at 0:45, the songs crutches have buckled and a wheelchair is necessary. I’m being harsh but the analogy works and I wanted to use it. The album is pleasant enough to listen to. You Are The Everything was my favorite track.

For me, this album was ok. It’s good, but not anything I would seek out on repeat. There is some nostalgia to it as Stand and Orange Crush were popular in my teen years, but even then this was not music that really spoke to me. That remains true today. Nothing turns me off about it, but nothing really draws me in either.

Was alright - I did end up with "Stand" really stuck in my head though